Acid Etching Now Used in Novel Way to Make Dainty Glassware (Dec, 1930)

Acid Etching Now Used in Novel Way to Make Dainty Glassware

Glittering modernistic patterns in pressed glassware, in the form of goblets and vases, are now on the market. The photographs on this page, taken recently in the workshop of a Paris glass-maker, show how such pieces are made.

Sand, the raw material of glass, is melted at a temperature of 1,100 degrees centigrade. In this molten state, it is dropped into a mold that has been carefully designed by artists. A press descends and then rises immediately. The shaped piece is removed from the mold and baked. After it has cooled it is examined for imperfections and if flawless, it is polished on a rotary wheel. Parts that are to remain transparent are coated with Judean tar. Acid makes exposed parts opaque.